Bottle closure



Aug. 27, 1963 D. S. WHlTEMAN, JR

BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed April 18, 1962 INVENTOR.

pm? s 9M? 4 TTORIVEYS.

Unite This invention relates to a bottle closure and, in particular, toa bottle closure incorporating a locking mechanism for securing the capto the bottle whereby the same cannot be removed without the propermanipulation of the bottle. As many deaths and injuries each year,especially to children, are caused by easy access to a bottle containingpoison or other harmful substance, this invention is directed toproviding a bottle and cap locking means which renders it diflicult fora child under the age of six years to remove the cap, and yetfairly'simple for an adult or older child to overcome the lockingmechanism and have access to the contents.

The prior art shows a variety of containers and mechanisms for securingthe cap to the container proper. One

States atent ice Patented Aug. 27, 1963 2 as plastic, which containsuflicient structural strength to support a fluid or such, and yet areflexible enough to allow the sides of the container to be manuallyflexed inwardly. The neck 1'5 can be of the relative size shown in FIG.1, joining the upwardly extending shoulder portion 11, or the neck canbe connected directly to the container itself.' The top annular surface11a of the such reference is the U.S. Patent No. 2,980,275, inventor R.A. I. Lundgren, issued April 18, 1961. The locking mechanism for jars asdisclosed in that patent, necessitates the use of a separate, flexiblering which fits over the top of a jar and has a series of spurs whichengage indentations in the cap. The mechanism disclosed by Lundgren hascertain disadvantages which are overcome by the present invention.First, the Lundgren mechanism requires the use of a separate componentwhich must be provided for each jar and cap and which must be of suchsize and construction as to fit tightly over the neck of the particularjar so as to engage a notch on the jar. Second, Lundgrens mechanism issubstantially easier to disengage than that disclosed *by applicant, anddoes not provide locking means which grips'the cap as positively as doesthe mechanism disclosed by applicant.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide locking meansassociated with the bottle for securing an ordinary screw-on bottle capwhich allows the cap to :be removed only when the bottle'is manipulatedcorrectl-y.

It is another object of this invention to provide a locking mechanismfor a cap and bottle closure in which the parts may be quickly andeasily operated to disengage the locking means by a person or olderchild who understands the mechanism involved.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bottle lockingmechanism which may be fabricated from commonly available materialsaccording to a simple construction. These and other advantages willbecome more apparent from the description herein and the drawingattached hereto, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing one form of the top of thecontainer of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top: view of the container shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional View taken along the lines and arrows III-III ofFIG. 2;

FIG.. 4 is a side elevational view of the cap of one form of thisinvention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view showing the capassembled on thebottle;

FIG. 6 is a perspective 'view showing the cap and the top of thecontainer; and 5 FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view partly insection, showing one form of the locking mechanism of this invention andthe method of releasing the same.

One specific form or my invention is illustrated in FIG. 51, wherein theflexible wall container 10 is shown with an upwardly extending shoulderportion 11 and a neck 15 connected thereto. The container may betabricated from any of a variety of flexible materials, such shoulderportion 11, I35 shown also in FIG. 2, is relatively flat and is providedwith one or more saw-tooth protrusions or spurs 12 which extendoutwardly from the flat surface 11a. The two protrusions 12 shown inFIGS. 1 to 3, are preferably positioned diametrically opposite to eachother across the neck 15 of the cont-ainer and these protrusions'have ashape substantially that of a wedge. As shown, the spur 12 preferably isstraight on one side 12a and tapered on the other 121). In addition, thespur 12 extends outwardly away from the neck of the container, as shownin FIG. 3, with the top edge of the spur substantially horizontal. Itshould be understood that any number of spurs or teeth 12 may bearnanged in the position desired around the top surface 11a of theshoulder 11. The neck 15 is equipped with a spiral thread 16 whichcomplements the thread positioned in the interior surface of cap 20.

Cap 20, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, has a knurled surface 21 whichextends around the cap 20 so as to provide a gripping surface. Thebottom annular surface of the cap 20 is provided with a series ofindentations 22 which are in the form of saw-tooth grooves. Eachindentation 22, substantially similar in shape to the protrusion 12, hasa straight side 2211 and a tapered side 22b whereby the protrusion 12engages the straight side of the serration 22, shown in FIG. 5, andprevents the cap from rotating in the loosening direction, i.e., thedirection of the arrow of FIG. 7. The internal surface of cap 20 isprovided with a spiral thread 25 which is of such size as to engagethread 16 of neck 15. As the protrusions 12 are composed of the 53.1116flexible material as the container 10 and are angularly disposed similarto the indentations, as described, the cap and indentations slip overthe top of the protrusions as the cap is tightened in the direction ofthe arrow in FIG. 5, thus allowing the cap to be threaded into contactwith the flat surface 11a of the shoulder 11.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the cap 21 is securely fastened to the neck 15of the container 10 by rotating the cap in the direction of the arrow inFIG. 5. As the cap, and more specifically thread 25, progresses down thethread 16 of the neck, the indentations 22 around the annular bottomsurface of the cap pass over the tapered spurs 12 until the bottomsurface of the cap is firmly against the shoulder 11, at which time thespur 12 fits within one indentation as shown in FIG. 5. When the spur 12is firmly within the serration, the cap is prevented from rotating inthe loosening direction.

To allow the cap to be removed from the container, or rotated in thedirection of the arrow of FIG. 7, the container body 10 is flexedinwardly as shown in FIG. 7. When the sides of the container 10 areflexed inwardly at a position adjacent the shoulder 11 and adjacent theprotrusions 12, the top surface of the flexible shoulder I 9 a tainersides inwardly so as to dislodge the spur from the indentation of thecap, and the second hand is used to rotate the cap in the looseningdirection while the spur is displaced away from the indentation.Further, it should be understood that as the Container and cap may becomposed of materials having varying degrees of flexibility, the degreeof strength required to flex the container 1nwardly will vary accordingto the material used, and, correspondingly, a stifler material willrequire strength not found normally in younger children. As the openingof this container requires the dexterous use of both hands, thecontainer hardly could be opened by chance by children at play.

In this single embodiment of my invention, the shoulder portion 11 isfitted with only two spurs. If desired, a single spur tor a plurality ofspurs may be provided arranged around the shoulder at convenientpositions. Similarly, a different locking mechanism may be used rnplaceof the tapered protrusions and indentations shown without departing fromthe spirit of this invention.

Further, this invention is not [to be understood as restricted in otherways to the details set forth, since these may be modified to providefor a container with various shapes, sizes and uses to satisfy widelydivergent needs in daily living. Such changes and modifications will bewell within the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit and scope of this invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A container closure having releasable locking means for preventing ascrew-on cap from becoming loosened, said container closure comprising aflexible walled container having an externally threaded neck and arelatively flat-surfaced shoulder portion annularly disposed around theneck; an internally threaded cap to fit over the container neck andengage the threads of the neck, said cap having a bottom annular surfacewhich contacts the surface of the shoulder portion when the cap is fullythreaded on the neck; and locking means comprising a protrusionextending from the surface of the shoulder portion and an indentationpositioned in the bottom annular surface of the cap whereby saidprotrusion fits within the indentation when the cap is fully threaded onthe neck preventing the loosening of the cap, said locking means beingreleased by an inward flexing of the walls of the container whereby theshoulder portion moves away from the cap dislodging the protrusion fromthe indentation.

2. The container closure as defined in claim 1 wherein is provided aseries of indentations extending around the bottom annular surface ofthe cap.

3. The container closure as defined in claim 2 wherein a plurality ofprotrusions are provided extending from the surface of the shoulderportion.

4. A container closure having releasable locking means for preventing ascrew-on cap from becoming loosened and separated from the container,said container closure comprising a flexible walled container having anexternally threaded neck and a relatively flat-surfaced shoulder portionannularly disposed around said neck; an internally threaded cap to fitover the container neck and engage the threads of the neck, said caphaving a bottom annular surface which contacts the surface of theshoulder portion when the cap is fully threaded on the neck; and lockingmeans comprising a plurality :of protrusions extending from the flatsurface of the shoulder portion and a series of indentations distributedevenly around the bottom annular surface of the cap whereby saidprotrusions fit within a plurality of serrations of the cap, when thecap is fully threaded on the neck of the container preventing theloosening of the cap, said locking means being released by an inwardflexing of the walls of the container adjacent the shoulder portionwhereby the shoulder portion moves away from the cap dislodging theprotrusions from the indentations of the cap.

5. The container closure as defined in claim 4 wherein the protrusionsand indentations are angularly disposed '4- so as to facilitate therotation of the cap in the tig direction and prevent its rotation in theloosening direction.

6. A container closure having locking means to secure a screw-oncontainer cap, the container closure comprising a container composed ofa substantially flexible material having a shoulder portion and a neckportion, the neck portion extending from the container and having anexternal thread, the shoulder portion having a substantially flatsurface disposed annularly around the base of the neck portion, ascrew-0n container cap having an internal thread designed to engage thethread of the neck portion, said cap having a bottom annular surfacewhich contacts the flat surface of the shoulder portion when the cap isfully threaded on the container, locking means associated with thecontainer and cap comprising 'a spur extending from the surface of theshoulder portion and an indentation positioned in the bottom surface ofthe cap, said spur being of such size as to engage the indentation whenthe cap is fully threaded on the neck portion and prevent loosening ofthe cap whereby said spur is disengaged from the indentation by amovement of the shoulder portion away from the bottom surface of the capcaused by an inward flexing of the sides of the container adjacent tosaid shoulder portion.

7. The container closure as defined in claim 6 wherein is provided aplurality of indentations positioned around the annular surface of thecap.

8. A container closure having locking means to secure a screw-oncontainer cap, the container closure comprising a container composed ofa substantially flexible material having a shoulder portion and a neckportion, the neck portion extending from the container and having anexternal thread, the shoulder portion having a substantially flatsurface disposed annularly around the base of the neck portion, ascrew-on container cap having an internal thread designed to engage thethread of the neck portion, said cap having a bottom annular surfacewhich contacts the flat surface of the shoulder portion when the cap isfully threaded on the container, locking means associated with thecontainer and cap comprising a plurality of spurs extending from theflat surface of the shoulder portion and a plurality of taperedindentations disposed evenly around the bottom surface of the cap, saidspurs being of such size and shape as to engage a plurality ofindentations in the cap when the cap is fully threaded on the neckportion of the container and prevent loosening of the cap whereby saidspurs are disegaged from the tapered indentations by a movement of theflat surface of the shoulder portion away from the bottom surface of thecap caused by an inward flexing of the sides of the container adjacentto said shoulder portion.

9. A container closure having locking means to secure a screw oncontainer cap, the container closure comprising a container composed ofa substantially flexible material having a flat-surfaced shoulderportion and a neck portion, the neck portion extending [from thecontamer and having an external thread, the flat-surfaced shoulderportion annularly disposed around the base of the neck portion, ascrew-on container cap having an internal thread designed to engage thethread of the neck portion, said cap having an annular bottom surfacewhich contacts the shoulder portion when the cap is fully threaded onthe container, locking means comprising a plurality of spurs extendingfrom the flat-surfaced shoulder portion and a plurality of indentationspositioned around the bottom annular surface of the cap, said spurs andindentations being angularly disposed so as to facilitate the rotationof the cap in the threaded direction and to prevent the rotation of thecap in the loosening direction, said spurs engaging said serrations whenthe cap is fully threaded on the neck portion to prevent loosening ofthe cap whereby said spurs are disengaged from the indentations by amovement of the shoulder portion away from the bottom surface of the capcaused by an inward flexing of the sides of the container adjacent tosaid shoulder portion.

10. A bottle closure having cap locking means wherein said locking meansmay be released by flexing the sides of the bottle inwardly, said bottleclosure comprising a bottle having a flexible body portion, anexternally threaded neck portion and a substantially flat-surfacedshoulder portion annularly disposed around the base of the neck portion;an internally threaded cap to fit over the neck portion and engage thethreads of the neck portion, said cap having an annular bottom surfacewhich contacts the shoulder portion when the cap is fully threaded onthe neck portion of the bottle; and cap looking means comprising aseries of tapered, tooth-like indentations extending around the bottomannular surface of the cap and a plurality of tapered tooth-likeprotrusions extending from the flat-surfaced shoulder portion of thebottle, said protrusions being of such size and tapered in thetightening direction so as to allow the cap to slip over the protrusionsuntil the cap is tightly threaded on the neck portion of the bottle atwhich time the protrusions fit into a plurality of indentations in thecap preventing the cap from rotating in the opposite direction, saidprotrusions being removed from the indentations 'by a movement of theshoulder portion away from the cap caused by the inward flexing of thesides of the bottle.

11. A bottle closure having cap locking means wherein said locking meansmaybe released by flexing the sides of the bottle inwardly, said bottleclosure comprising a bottle having a flexible body portion, anexternally threaded neck portion and a substantially flat-surfacedshoulder portion annularly disposed around the base of the neck portion;an internally threaded cap to fit over the neck portion :and engage thethreads of the neck portion, said cap having an annular bottom surface.which contacts the shoulder portion when the cap is fully threaded onthe neck portion ofthe bottle; and cap looking means comprising a seriesof tooth-like indentations positioned around the bottom surf-ace of thecap and a plurality of tooth-like protrusions extending from theshoulder portion of the bottle, said protrusions and indentations beingangularly displaced so as to facilitate the rotation of the' cap in thetightening direction and prevent its rotation in the looseningdirection, said protrusions being of such size as to allow the cap toslip over the protrusions until the cap is tightly threaded on the neckportion at which time the protrusions fit into a plurality ofindentations of the cap preventing the cap -from rotating in theopposite direction, said protrusions being removed from the indentationsby a movement of the shoulder portion away from the cap caused by theinward flexing of the sides of the bottle.

12. A bottle closure having cap locking means to prevent theunintentional removal of the screw on cap wherein the locking means maybe released by an inward flexing the locking means may be released by aninward flexing of the sides of the bottle, said bottle closurecomprising a bottle having a flexible body portion, an externallythreaded neck portion and a shoulder portion with a substantially flatsurface annularly disposed around the neck portion; an internallythreaded screw-on cap to seal the bottle by fitting over the neckportion and engaging the threads of the neck portion, said cap having anannular bottom surface which contacts the flat surface of the shoulderportion when the cap is fully threaded on the neck portion of thebottle; and cap locking means comprising a plurality of tooth-likeprotrusions extending from the flat surface of the shoulder portion anda series of the sides of the bottle, said bottle closure comprising abottle having a flexible body portion, an externally threaded neckportion and a shoulder portion with a substantially flat surfaceannularly disposed around the neck portion; an internally threadedscrew-on cap to seal the bottle by fitting over the neck portion andengaging the threads of the neck portion, said cap having an annularbottom surface which contacts the flat surface of the shoulder portionwhen the cap is iully threaded on the neck portion of the bottle; andcap locking means comprising 'a plurality of tooth like protrusionsextending from the flat surface of the shoulder portion and a series oftooth-like indentations extending around the bottom annular surface ofthe cap, said protrusions being composed of a flexible material to allowthe cap to be tightly of tooth-like indentations positioned around thebottom annular surface of the cap, said protrusions and indentationsbeing angularly disposed so as to facilitate the rotation of the cap inthe tightening direction and prevent its rotation in the looseningdirection, said protrusions being composed of a flexible material toallow the cap to be tightly threaded on the neck portion at which timesaid protrusions mesh with a plurality of said indentations therebypreventing the rotation of the cap in the loosening direction, saidlocking means being released by displacing the protrusions from theindentations by a movement of the flat surface of the shoulder portionaway from the cap caused by the inward flexing of the body portion ofthe bottle.

14. A bottle closure having cap locking means to prevent theunintentional removal of the screw-on cap wherein the locking means maybe released by an inward flexing of the sides of the bottle, said bottleclosure comprising a bottle having a flexible body portion, anexternally threaded neck portion and a shoulder portion with :asubstantially flat surface annularly disposed around the neck portion;an internally threaded screw-on cap to seal the bottle by fitting overthe neck portion and engaging the threads of the neck portion, said caphaving an annular bottom surface which contacts the flat surface of theshoulder portion when the cap is tully threaded on the neck portion ofthe bottle; and cap locking means comprising a plurality of tooth-likeprotrusions extending from the flat surface of the shoulder portion anda series of took-like indentations extending around the bottom annularsurface of the cap, said protrusions and indentations being angularlydisposed so as to facilitate the rotation of the cap in the tighteningdirection and prevent its rotation in the loosening direction, saidprotrusions being composed of a flexible material and of such size as toallow the cap-to be tightly threaded on the neck portion at which timesaid protrusions mesh with a plurality of said indentations therebypreventing the rotation of the cap in the loosening direction, saidlocking means being released by displacing the protrusions from theindentations by a movement of the flat surface of the shoulder portionaway from the cap caused by the inward flexing of the body portion ofthe bottle.

15. The bottle closure as defined in claim 14 wherein the cap isprovided with a series of serrations to provide gripping surface.

No references cited;

1. A CONTAINER CLOSURE HAVING RELEASABLE LOCKING MEANS FOR PREVENTING ASCREW-ON CAP FROM BECOMING LOOSENED, SAID CONTAINER CLOSURE COMPRISING AFLEXIBLE WALLED CONTAINER HAVING AN EXTERNALLY THREADED NECK AND ARELATIVELY FLAT-SURFACED SHOULDER PORTION ANNULARLY DISPOSED AROUND THENECK; AN INTERNALLY THREADED CAP TO FIT OVER THE CONTAINER NECK ANDENGAGE THE THREADS OF THE NECK, SAID CAP HAVING A BOTTOM ANNULAR SURFACEWHICH CONTACTS THE SURFACE OF THE SHOULDER PORTION WHEN THE CAP IS FULLYTHREADED ON THE NECK; AND LOCKING MEANS COMPRISING A PROTRUSIONEXTENDING FROM THE SURFACE OF THE SHOULDER PORTION AND AN INDENTATIONPOSITIONED IN THE BOTTOM ANNULAR SURFACE OF THE CAP WHEREBY SAIDPROTRUSION FITS WITHIN THE INDENTATION WHEN THE CAP IS FULLY THREADED ONTHE NECK PREVENTING THE LOOSENING OF THE CAP, SAID LOCKING MEANS BEINGRELEASED BY AN INWARD FLEXING OF THE WALLS OF THE CONTAINER WHEREBY THESHOULDER PORTION MOVES AWAY FROM THE CAP DISLODGING THE PROTRUSION FROMTHE INDENTATION.